Brick wall setting device for cesspools



July 31, 1956 R. F. SMITH 2,757,036

BRICK WALL SETTING DEVICE FOR CESSPOOLS Filed Oct. 16, 1955 25Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS July 31, 1956 R. F. SMITH 2,757,036

BRICK WALL SETTING DEVICE-FOR CESSPOOLS Filed oct. 16, 195:5

l5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent O BRICK WALL SETTING DEVICE FORCESSPOOLS Raymond F. Smith, Fresno, Calif., assignor to Smith andYearont, Fresno, Calif., a partnership Application October 16, 1953,Serial No. 386,470

4 Claims. (Cl. 294-67) This invention is directed to, and it is anobject to provide, a novel device for supporting, lowering, and settinga complete cylindrical brick wall which forms the lining of anunderground cesspool.

Another important object of the invention is to pro- Vide a device, forthe purpose described, which is operative to set a cylindrical brickwall in a cesspool hole, which frequently is relatively deep, withoutthe necessity of a worker entering the hole during the operation; thisbeing of substantial advantage, as the safety of the workers ismaterially increased.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device, for thepurpose described, which is useful to set a cylindrical brick wall in acesspool hole in a rapid, accurate, and elective manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a brick wall settingdevice, for cesspools, which includes a novel platform unit adapted tobe lowered progressively into a cesspool hole; the cylindrical wallbeing laid course by course on the platform unit from above ground, andwhen the wall is complete and fully lowered into the hole the device isoperative to release the wall onto the bottom of the hole, whereuponsaid device is withdrawn upwardly through the wall to an above-ground orclearance position.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a brick wall settingdevice, for cesspools, which is of simple but rugged structure; beingdesigned for ease and economy of manufacture and convenience of use.

An additional object of the invention is to providea practical andreliable brick wall setting device for cesspools, and one which will beexceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevationof the device in substantially l its startingposition in alinement with a preformed cesspool hole in the ground.

Fig. 2 is a similar View, but shows the device lowered part way into thecesspool hole, and with the device supporting the cylindrical brickWall.

Fig. 3 is likewise a similar view, but shows the device in its fullylowered position and released, with the brick wall in nal positionseating on hole.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the platform unit; the suspensionrods and the bail being broken away.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on line 5 5 of Fig. 4,showing-in full linesone of the foot plates, and related mechanism, inthe normal or wall supporting position, and-in dotted linesin releasedposition.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters ofreference marked thereon, the device comprises a platform unit,indicated generally at 1; such unit including a circular, horizontalplatform 2 formed with an upstanding peripheral liange 3. The platform 2is of somewhat lesser diameter than the diameter of the the bottom ofthe cesspool 2,757,036 Patented July 31, 1956 ICC preformed, cylindricalcesspool hole 4 in which a continuous or cylindrical brick wall 5 is tobe set in substantially matching relation.

A plurality of circumferentially spaced, upwardly converging suspensionrods 6 are fixed to the top of the platform 2 adjacent its periphery,and at their upper ends said rods 6 are secured to the lower block 7 ofan upwardly extending block and tackle unit, indicated generally at 8.The block and tackle unit 8 is connected to, and depends from, aportable gantry or the like (not shown) which is erected in anupstanding position above the cylindrical cesspool hole 4.

A plurality of normally horizontal foot plates 9 rest on the outerportion of the circular platform 2 in equidistantly circumferentiallyspaced relation; such foot plates 9 being of a length such that theyproject a distance beyond the peripheral ange 3 substantially equal tothe horizonal thickness of the arcuate segmental bricks 10 whichcomprise each course 11 of the cylindrical brick wall 5.

The corresponding bricks 10, in adjacent courses 11 of the cylindricalbrick wall 5, are disposed in half lapping relation, as Shown, and saidbricks-as is conventionaleach include lateral, outwardly and downwardlyinclined drain holes 12 therethrough.

The normally horizontal foot plates 9 project in relatively. loose-playrelation through downwardly opening notches 13 in the lower edge of theperipheral flange 3, and additionally-in communicating relation with thenotches 13-the platform 2 is radially slotted, as at 14, with the slotsof a length and width to permit said foot plates 9 to swing from ahorizontal position, as in full lines in Fig. 5, to a vertical position,as in dotted lines in said figure.

As the foot plates 9 so swing they move downwardly and inwardly at thefree end portion, whereby when they reach vertical they are disposedWholly inwardly of the periphery of platform 2.

In order to support the foot plates 9 in their normal horizontalposition, yet permit them to swing as above without displacement fromthe platform 2, each of said foot plates has a cross rod 15 xed on topthereof and projecting beyond the side edges; the projecting endportions of each cross rod 1S bearing on top of the platform 2. Thecross rods 15 have a slight bend, which normally extends inwardly, atthe ends in order to permit them to lie relatively close to the liange3.

Locator blocks 16 upstand from the platform 2 on each side of the footplates 9 inwardly of the cross rods 15 whereby to further assure of themaintenance of proper positioning of said foot plates but withoutlimiting the hereinbefore described swinging thereof from horizontal tovertical position.

The foot plates 9 are each normally maintained against such swingingmotion by means of a pivoted catch 17 which engages over the rear end ofeach foot plate; each catch 17 including an ear 1S which depends througha radial slot 19 in the platform 2, and below said platform the ear isturnably supported on a fixed cross pin 20 welded to the under side ofthe platform 2 and spanning the related slot 19.

A relatively short post 21 is xed to, and extends from, the center ofthe platform 2, and a sleeve 22 is slidably disposed on the post 21.

A plurality of links 23 in spider arrangement are pivotally connectedbetween attachment ears 24 on the sleeve 22 and the correspondingcatches 17.

The sleeve 22 is normally in its lowered position, at which time thelinks 23 are slightly below dead-center maintaining the catches 17 inpositive engagement over the rear ends of the foot plates 9.

The sleeve 22 is tted, at the top, with an upstanding 3 bail 25 to whicha pull cord 26 is connected; said pull cord being of a length to extendupwardly some distance.

In use of the above described device it is suspended initially in theposition shown in Fig. l, with the sleeve 22 lowered so that the catches17 maintain the foot plates 9 in their normal horizontal positionprojecting beyond the peripheral flange 3.

Thereafter, the cylindrical brick wall 5 is laid course by course; thelower course being laid on and supported by the foot plates 9. Each footplate 9 engages centrally under the corresponding brick l0 of said lowercourse, The upstanding peripheral flange 3 serves as an annular guideagainst which the lower course 11 of bricks 1t) is laid, whereby suchcourse is true-circle, which in turn gives an accurate pattern for thesubsequently laid courses.

As the cylindrical brick wall 5 is built up course by course from aboveground, the platform unit 1 is progressively lowered into the cesspoolhole 4 by means of the block and tackle unit 3.

Upon the platform unit 1 reaching the bottom 27 of the cesspool hole 4,the cylindrical brick wall 5 has been completed and lies within thecesspool hole in substantially matching relation and extending from topto bottom thereof.

Thereupon the cord 26S-which reaches to above ground-is pulled upwardly,which slides the sleeve 22 in a corresponding direction on the post 21.When this occurs the links 23 are correspondingly raised at their innerends, breaking upwardly above dead-center and assuming an outward anddownward incline. This causes retraction of the catches 17. Nextly, theblock and tackle unit 3 is worked in a manner to begin upward raising ofthe platform unit l, whereupon the foot plates 9 are caused to swingrelatively downwardly and inwardly at their outer end portions, digginginto the soft earth at the bottom 27 of the cesspool hole 4. When suchswinging of the foot plates 9 occurs they free from the lower end of thecylindrical brick wall 5 and assume their vertical position, whereuponwith continued upward raising of the platform unit 1 they form noobstruction, and such unit can be readily withdrawn from the cylindricalbrick wall S to a clearance position thereabove.

With the above described device a cylindrical brick wall 5 can bereadily manually laid from an aboveground position, and such wallprogressively lowered into the cesspool hole land seated on the bottomthereof; all without the necessity of a worker entering the hole duringthe operation. The device therefore not only provides for greater safetyto the Workers, but permits of the laying of a brick wall in a cesspoolhole in a rapid and expeditious manner.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects ofthe invention, as set forth herein.

While this specication sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

l. A device, for lowering a brick wall into and setting the same in acesspool hole, comprising a platform adapted for entry into a preformedcesspool hole, means suspending the platform for lowering the same intothe cesspool hole from top to bottom thereof, the platform includingcircumferentially spaced members having outer end portions radially outfrom the platform to support the wall from below for lowering into thecesspool hole, said members being movable from a wall supportingposition to a released position inwardly of the wall so that theplatform may be withdrawn upwardly without obstruction by said wall,control means to so move the members, releasable holding means normallypreventing such movement of the members, and an annular flange supportedby the platform and disposed radially inward of but adjacent said wallsupporting portions of the members to locate and guide the lowest courseof the wall when the latter is being placed on the device.

2. A device, for lowering a brick wall into and setting the same in acesspole hole, comprising a platform adapted for entry into a preformedcesspool hole, means suspending the platform for lowering the same intothe cesspool hole from top to bottom thereof, wall supporting footplates normally projecting outwardly from the platform in spacedrelation about the same, means pivoting the foot plates intermediatetheir ends on the platform for swinging motion from said normal positionto a released position inwardly of the wall, and releasable meansnormally preventing such movement of the foot plates; said last namedmeans comprising catches normally engaging over corresponding footplates at their inner end in holding relation, means pivoting thecatches on the platform below the same, a central post upstanding fromthe platform, a sleeve slidable on the post, a pull member connected toand extending upward from the sleeve, and links, substantiallyhorizontal when the catch is engaged, radiating from the sleeve andpivotally connected thereto and to the catches above the pivots thereof.

3. A device, as in claim 2, in which the links are below a dead-centerposition when the catches are engaged and the sleeve is fully lowered'.

4. A device, for lowering a brick wall into and settingV the same in acesspool hole, comprising a platform adapted for entry into a preformedcesspool hole, means suspending the platform for lowering the same intoa cesspool hole from top to bottom thereof, wall supporting foot'platesnormally projecting outwardly from the platform in spaced relation aboutthe same, means pivoting the foot plates intermediate their ends on theplatform.

for swinging motion from said normal position to a released positioninwardly of the wall, and releasable means normally preventing suchmovement of the foot plates; said last named means comprising individualcatches normally engaging over corresponding foot plates at their innerend in holding relation, means mounting the catches on the platform forreleasing movement in a direction radially inward of the platform, andmechanism including a normally slack pull cable operable from above thehole and connected to the catches individually to release all saidcatches simultaneously.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS186,943 Moore Feb. 6, 1877

